1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related generally to a method and apparatus for facilitating use of an automobile gas station by a disabled person, and in particular to a kit and method for improving access to service station businesses and buildings to persons with disabilities.
2. Description of the Related Art
Persons with disabilities are increasing by willing and able to travel about without requiring an able bodied person to travel with them. Automobiles, vans and other vehicles are routinely modified to accommodate the disabled driver, including by wheel chair lifts, alternate controls for the accelerator and brake floor pedals, etc. The disabled driver may, thus, drive the vehicle with the same ease as other drivers. However, the disabled driver may have a more difficult time exiting the vehicle and may have more difficulty moving about outside the vehicle.
These difficulties become even more apparent at gas stations, also referred to as service stations. In the past, a vehicle entering a service station was met by an attendant who would pump the gasoline or other fuel into the vehicle's fuel tank and often checked the oil and cleaned the windows. This service has, for the most part, been discontinued as most gas stations are now self service. The self service gas station requires that the customer, usually the vehicle's driver, exit the vehicle, operate the fuel pump to pump the fuel into the vehicle's fuel tank, and pay for the purchase, either at the pump or inside the gas station's building.
For a driver in a wheelchair to perform these tasks, the driver would be required to exit the vehicle by lowering of a wheelchair lift from the side of the vehicle and exit the wheelchair lift, usually at the end of the lift farthest from the vehicle. This places the wheelchair-bound person in the traffic flow lanes of the service station, and as such places them at risk of being struck by a vehicle. Many service stations have only a limited width for the traffic lanes, and the wheelchair-bound driver may not have space to lower the lift and exit the vehicle due to the presence of structures or other vehicles in the way. Even if the wheelchair-bound person is able to exit the vehicle, it may be difficult or even dangerous for the wheelchair-bound person to operate the gas pump. The disabled driver who successfully manages to exit the vehicle and operate the gas pump may find the way back into the vehicle blocked by another vehicle parked at another gas pump.
The service station may have an attendant who can assist the disabled driver in refueling the vehicle, but the attendant may not know that the driver needs assistance. The disabled driver does not know which service station has an attendant who can assist in refueling of the vehicle.
In addition to the difficulties encountered in vehicle refueling, the person with disabilities may have difficulty obtaining access to the convenience stores that are increasingly more common at service stations and gas stations. These difficulties may relate to curbs or steps which cannot be traversed, doors which the person may be unable to open unaided, doorways which are too narrow for a wheelchair, etc. Important opportunities are missed by the business by unintentionally excluding the disabled customer, and the disabled person also misses out on the opportunities that await inside.
Laws have been enacted that require businesses to make changes to make themselves accessible to people with disabilities. Some of the laws relate to access at refueling facilities. However, businesses, particularly small businesses, are unaware of what measures can, or should, be taken to increase accessibility by disabled individuals and/or cannot afford high-cost measures such as renovation of store fronts or electronic power door openers.